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Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Tomorrow I head to Denver for the North American Nature Photographers' Association meeting where I'll be reviewing portfolios from some of tomorrow's great nature photographers. Having spent a few nights the last few weeks watching American Idol with Julie and Phoebe, I'm thinking of letting my inner Simon Cowell out.

I've been practicing this phrase in a British accent:"These are, without a doubt, the WORST bird photographs I have ever seen! Sorry, it's a NO."

Or maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.

Then I go to the SHOT Show in Las Vegas (my second-least-favorite city on the planet). SHOT stands for Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade. It's primarily a hunting show, but you can also see lots of new outdoor gear there, plus thousands of products associated with the outdoor industry. The SHOT Show is billed thusly: "It's like sitting around the campfire with 37,730 of your closest friends." This is something of an exaggeration. Most of my closest friends are not this well-armed.

Fortunately, while I am gone, an entire battalion of National Guard troops will be staying on our farm, training their Dobermans to kill intruders.

About Bill

Bill of the Birds

Bill Thompson III is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest by day. He's also a keen birder, the author of many books, a dad, a field trip leader, an ecotourism consultant, a guitar player, the host of the "This Birding Life" podcast, a regular speaker/performer on the birding festival circuit, a gentleman farmer, and a fungi to be around. His North American life list is somewhere between 673 and 675. His favorite bird is the red-headed woodpecker. His "spark bird" was a snowy owl. He has watched birds in 25 countries and 44 states. But his favorite place to watch birds is on the 80-acre farm he shares with his wife, artist/writer Julie Zickefoose. Some kind person once called Bill "The Pied Piper of Birding" and he has been trying to live up to that moniker ever since.